Magnetic socket wrench



May 13, 1958 D. K. cHowNlNG MAGNETIC SOCKET WRENCH 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March '22, 1957 l Y m@ M mw e V 0 mw n @A mw w MMM M W .H U.

May 13, 1958 D. K. cHowNlNG MAGNETIC SOCKET WRENCH 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 22, 195'? 7///////////.V /n/a/s/s vwl/n s n Nm. E

INVENTOR. DALE ,a cH'ou//v/NG,

Ww@ mmam A 77'0 ENE VS United i StatesA Patent C MAGNETIC SOCKET WRENCH Dale K. Chowning, Mountain View, Mo.

Application March 22, 1957, Serial No. 647,846

2 Claims. (Cl. 81-125) The present invention relates to a magnetic socket wrench.

An object of the present invention is to provide a magnetic socket wrench which lends itself to rapid and easy attachment of magnetizable nuts or bolts to an apparatus such as a television set which frequently has such nuts and bolts in nearly inaccessible places hard to reach with the fingers or an ordinary socket wrench.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a magnetic socket wrench which permits the ejection of a nut or bolt after the same has been detached from such apparatus.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a magnetic socket wrench which is simple in structure, sturdy in construction, one which is economical to manufacture and assemble, and one which is highly eflicient in action.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will be fully apparent from the following description when taken in connection with the annexed drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is an end view of the socket wrench, according to the present invention;

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the socket wrench shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a perspective exploded view of a portion of the assembly shown in Figures l to 3;

Figure 5 is an end view of a modified form of the present invention;

Figure 6 is a sectional view, taken on the line 6-6 of Figure 5, a portion of the socket wrench in this form :being broken away;

Figure 7 is a sectional view of the assembly shown in Figures 5 and 6, showing a nut being removed `from a stud by the socket wrench; and

Figure 8 is a perspective exploded View of the assembly shown in Figures 5 to 7, inclusive.

Referring in greater detail to the drawings jin which like numerals indicate like parts throughout the several views, the socket wrench, according to the present invention, comprises an elongated handle 10 having a bore 11 extending axially therethrough from one end ,to the other end. A hollow tube 12 has an end portion 13 that extends into one end of the bore 11, the portion 13 being `fixedly secured within the bore 11. A socket 14 is carried 'by the other end of the tube 12 and is of a size and internal shape to fit over a nut or bolt to be turned.

A housing 15 open at one end 16 and closed at the other end 17 is conformably shaped to fit the interior of the socket 14 and is positioned within the socket 14 so `that the open end 16 is inwardly of and spaced from the vfree end of the socket 14, the closed end 17 being remote from the free end of the socket 14.

A shank 18 is carried by and formed integrally with the -closed end 17 of the housing 15 and extends slidably .through the bore 11 and through the interior of the tube ICC 12. The shank 18 is provided with an enlarged portion 19 adjacent the free end thereof, the portion 19 being exteriorly of the bore 11 and adjacent to a recess 21 provided in the handle 1i) remote from the end of the handle 10 to which the tube portion 13 is attached.

A magnet 22 is positioned within the housing 15 and has one end disposed exteriorly of the open end 16 of the housing 15. The portion of the socket 14 intermediate the free end thereof and the free end of the magnet 22 forms a recess for a nut or bolt, the magnet 22 being conformably shaped to iit within the housing 15 and having a bore 23 therethrough into which may project a stud on which a nut is mounted, the nut fitting Within the aforesaid recess.

The house 15 is slidably movable Within the socket 14 from the position in which the housing open end v16, is spaced from the socket free end to a position in which the housing open end 16 is in alignment with the free end of the socket 14. The enlarged portion 19 of the shank 18 serves as a hand-actuable means for effecting the movement of the housing 15. A spring 24 has one end bearing upon the inner face of the enlarged portion 19 of the shank 18 and its other end bearing against the bottom of the recess 21 formed in the handle 10 and biases the shank 18 and its attached housing 15 to the position in which the open end 16 and the housing 15 is spaced from the free end of the socket 14.

A modified form of the socket wrench, according to the present invention, is shown in Figures 5 to 8, inclusive,

and comprises a hollow socket 25 formed on the end of a tube 26 and having an open end 27. A shank 29 is slidable within the tube 26 and has one end fixed to the closed end of a housing 31. Within the housing 31 is a solid magnet 32 having a portion adjacent one end disposed exteriorly of the housing 31. A counterbore 33 is provided in the tube 26 and against the bottom of the counterbore 33 bears one end of a resilient member or a spring 34. The other end of the spring 34 bears against the closed end of the housing 31 and biases the housing 31 to a position in which the free end of the magnet 32 is spaced from the open end 27 of the socket 25.

In this form of the invention, the magnet 32, being solid, cannot receive the stud from which or to which a nut is removed or attached. However, the Asocket 25 is of such length that it permits the housing 31 with its attached magnet 32 to be forced into the socket 25, compressing the spring 34, as shown in Figure 7, by a stud 35 that contacts the free end of the magnet 32 While a nut 36 is being threaded either onto or off of the stud 35 by the rotation of the socket 25.

The socket wrench, according to the present invention, in each of the embodiments heretofore described, enables the user thereof to position a nut in face to face contact with the free end of the magnet 22 or 32 if such nut is of magnetizable material and to hold such nut against accidental loss therefrom While the nut is being turned onto a stud or removed therefrom. In each of the embodiments of the present invention the shanks 18 and 29 are slidable within the respective tubes 12 and 26 to move the attached magnets 22 and 32, respectively, toward the open end of the associated socket, the embodiment in Figures 1 to 4 also permitting the nut to be moved out of the socket. f

What is claimed is:

1. A socket wrench comprising a handle having a bore extending axially therethrough from one end to the other end thereof, a hollow tube having a portion adjacent one end extending into one end of said bore and lixedly secured therein, an open-ended socket on the other end of said tube; a housing, open at one end and closed at the other end, conformably shaped to the interior of said socket and positioned within said socket soV that thc open er1-dof the'housing is normally Vdisposed inwardly of and spaced 'from`the free end of `said socket, 'the Vclosed end of the housing being remote from said socket free end, said housing being movable within said socket from the normalzpositionto a position in which said housing open eni is .in alignment with said socket free end; a shank carriedby'the closed end of said housing and extending s'lidably through rsaid bore and having the portion adjacent the free end thereof disposed exteriorly of and adjacent the other end of said bore; a magnet positioned within said housing'and having one end disposed exteriorly of'the open end of said housing, the portion of said socket intermediate the free end thereof and the free end of 'said magnet forming a recess for a nut therein; and hand-actuable means on the other end of said shank for 'effecting the movement Vof said housing.

2. VA socket wrench comprising a handle having a'bore extending axiallytherethrough fromtone end to the other end'there'of,a'hollow'tube having Va portion adjacent one end extending into one end of said bore and iixedly secured therein, an-'open-ended socket on the other end of said tube; a housing, operi at one end and-closed at the other en'd, conformably shaped to the interior of said socket andY positioned within said socket so that the open spaced from "the 'free "end of `said socket, the Aclosed end of the housing being remote from said socket free end, said housing being movable within said socket from the normal position to a position in which said housing open end is in alignment with said socket free end; a shank carried by the closed end of said housing and extending slidably through said bore; `afmagnet positioned Within said housing andl havingtone -enddisposedexteriorly of the open end of saidhousing, the portion of said socket intermediate the ifree tend vth'ereofiand :the free=fend of said magnet forming a recess fora nut therein; and means operatively connected'to said shankfor effecting `the movernent of said housing.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Re.'2`4,066 'Brown 'Oct.'4, 1955 2,320,967 Dunkelberger June Vl, 1943 2,470399 Holbenid May 517, '1'949 :2,651,229 Lenz Sept. `8, .1953 2,671,369 Clark -Man 9, T954 2,720,804 Brown Oct. '18,v 1955 

